Wednesday, December 10, 2008

My "other" home away from home

As you know, I spend about 12 to 14 hours a week in a dialysis unit at our local hospital, receiving kidney dialysis for renal failure brought on by an overabundance of hospital-ordered antibiotics (for an infection) almost two years ago. It's a drag, but I try to make the best of it. We have TVs to watch, and I can clumsily read a book with my one unoccupied arm. Today I realized that my camera was in my purse, so I attempted to take some photos of the place. Since I only had the one aforementioned available arm and hand, I couldn't hold the camera very still. They're mostly a blur. On top of that, all of the pictures are reflections from the big window opposite my chair, not straight-on. They're pretty lame.... but then, so is dialysis! This is Joe, my dialysis technician. He takes good care of me. Sorry he's such a blur! :-)

A reflection of my dialysis machine.... fully computerized... I just wish it went faster!

Another reflection off the window, prior to sunrise.

Ron thinks I should try again on Friday, using his little tripod. I probably will, but since I have nothing else to report today, I thought I'd go ahead and post these.

More info, for anyone who is interested: My dialysis unit is in a hospital and consists of two rooms. The "big room" holds 16 patients and the smaller room holds 7. I'm in the smaller room because I requested a window. The big room has none. There are three sessions each day, beginning at 6, 11, and 5. I'm in the early morning session, Mon., Wed. and Fri. That's a lot of kidney patients, and ours is by far not the only unit in town. I know of at least 7 more in Tulsa. The personnel consists of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and renal technicians. We get doctor visits once every month, or as needed. Most people sleep during dialysis, but I don't sleep a wink. I just get impatient, to the point of wanting to jump out of the chair. But, I behave for obvious reasons. In reality, a dialysis machine is a technical miracle, and I have a great deal of respect for it as well as for those who work so tirelessly in the units.

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About Me

I'm the owner of Afton Station, in Afton Oklahoma, a small private Route 66 memorabilia and antique car museum housed in a restored filling station. We are visited daily by both domestic and foreign travelers who are exploring the charms of old Route 66. Their stories will be told here (and maybe a little bit of other stuff, too.) Since I live 80 miles from Afton Station, a straight shot on Route 66, you'll probably hear a lot about the Mother Road, too.